On-Demand Volume Measurements

Having accurate volume measurements for stockpiles is crucial on any aggregate, mining, or construction site.

With the volume measurement tool, also known as the volumetric tool, you can quickly and easily get accurate volume measurements within hours of flying your site using the on-demand volumetric measurement tool in your Skycatch viewer!

This tool has been rigorously tested internally and on real projects submitted by drone service providers, aggregates teams, professional surveyors, and large enterprises.

How to use the On-Demand Volumetric tool:

Log in to your Skycatch account and select a map containing 3D data. You can verify this by opening the calendar and looking for the 3D symbol:

Once you've selected your map, click the New button on the upper left corner. Select Measurements in the dropdown menu. Your cursor will become a crosshair symbol.

Draw the polygon around the area you wish to measure on your 2D map. You can rename the measurement and select the displayed color of the volume measurement.

Note: we recommend drawing the outline of the polygon beyond the outside edge of the toe of the stockpile, in order to include the entire surface of the stockpile.

To adjust and edit the shape, click and drag the white "nodes" on the edge of the shape.

Once you have finished drawing the polygon, press Submit at the bottom of the left side panel.

A notification will appear in the panel indicating that the request has been received and is processing.

Once the measurements have been calculated, you'll see a notification at the top of your screen and the measurement details will be displayed.

You’ll see the height, cut, fill, and total volume in a pop-up on the polygon.

Create and save as many measurements as as you'd like. To rename the measurement, click the Edit button to the right of the measurement title.

Once you've updated the name, click Save + Close to save any changes.

To delete a measurement, select the measurement and click the trash can icon to the right of the Edit button. Confirm your choice by clicking Delete on the pop up or click Cancel to return to the previous screen.

Volumetrics FAQ

What do the Height, Cut, Fill, and Total measurements mean?

Height is the tallest point of the stockpile above the detected ground surface.Cut is the volume of a stockpile measured above a ground plane, indicated with a "+" (positive) sign. Fill is the volume of a negative space measured above a ground plane, indicated with a "-" (negative) sign. Total volume is the difference of these two values for the area that you measured.

What scenarios work best for performing high accuracy volume measurements?

Skycatch is developing this feature to support different volume storing scenarios. Currently, the best use cases are:1. Stockpiles stored on a relatively flat surface, e.g. - not on a slope or a truck.2. Stockpiles with clear toes (boundaries) e.g. - not stored against a wall or a bunker.

What's the accuracy threshold of the volumetrics tool?

The accuracy threshold for stockpiles measured on a flat plain can be up to 5%. Beta tests performed by a customer on three stockpiles showed a 2.9% average within the measurements calculated by more traditional methods. We're constantly working on improving this tool and will soon be releasing updates that improve the accuracy.

What does Skycatch use as a basis when calculating volume measurements?

We use the polygon you draw to create the base plane, and then use that to calculate the cut and fill volume.